Connolly Named Co-Coach of the Year; Flannery Tabbed Rookie

NEWTON, Mass. (11/10/15) – The Lasell field hockey team took two major awards in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) all-conference team selections, as announced by the league office on Tuesday afternoon.

Head coach Cait Connolly earned GNAC Co-Coach of the Year after leading the Lasers to a 10-9 overall season. Lasell finished at 4-2 in the conference, a turnaround from last year's 2-4 outing, and earned the fourth seed to host the post-season tournament. Connolly brought in a heap of talented freshmen, seven in total, two of which have already been recognized by the GNAC this season.

Freshman Cailin Flannery (Medford, N.J.) was named the GNAC Rookie of the Year after a standout season with the Lasers, registering 17 goals and 11 assists in 19 games played. Flannery set the Lasell single season record in assists, and is already on her way to breaking the goals mark, 20 in a season, previously set in 2008.

Joining Flannery in all-conference accolades was senior Ashlee Pechulis (Westfield, Mass.) who was placed on the GNAC Second Team. Pechulis was a force in the midfield for the Lasers, finishing the season with four assists and a game-winning goal. In her career at Lasell, the senior playmaker has accumulated 17 points in 75 games played.

First Team

F – Kylie Dalbec, Anna Maria

F – Nicole Denver, Anna Maria

F – Cailin Flannery, Lasell

F – Julie Saltamartini, Simmons

M – Kayla Lapierre, Anna Maria

M – Amy Cronin, Simmons

M – Amy Wilson, Simmons

B – Meghan Williams, Saint Joseph's (Maine)

B – Alexia Malone, Simmons

B – Maizy Wagner, Simmons

GK – Mary Kate Breen, Anna Maria

Second Team

F – Giovanna Ciavardoni, Johnson & Wales

F – Kelsey Dumond, Saint Joseph's (Maine)

F – Michalia Parent, Saint Joseph's (Maine)

F – Jenna Gagnon, Simmons

M – Kaitlyn Moran, Anna Maria

M – Ashlee Pechulis, Lasell

M – Hailey Bruno-Moulton, Simmons

B – Shelby Looney, Anna Maria

B – Jessica Kocur, Johnson & Wales

B – Chelsea Bordeau, Saint Joseph's (Maine)

GK – Megan Baker, Saint Joseph's (Maine)

Offensive Player of the Year – Julie Saltamartini, Simmons

Defensive Player of the Year – Maizy Wagner, Simmons

Rookie of the Year – Cailin Flannery, Lasell

Goalkeeper of the Year – Mary Kate Breen, Anna Maria

Co-Coaches of the Year – Sharon Zenevitch, Anna Maria & Caitlin Connolly, Lasell

Institutional Sportsmanship Award – Rivier University